Wwhy Diet Coke and Coke Zero taste so different

If you try to give a Diet Coke addict anything other than a Diet Coke, they'll be able to lecture you until the end of the earth about how full-fat Coke/Coke Zero/Coke Life tastes so different (guilty) to their holy grail drink. But why?

While it's more obvious with full-fat and Coca-Cola Life and comes down to the sugar content, it's less clear what distinguishes a Diet Coke from a Coke Zero considering they're both no sugar alternatives.

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Coke Zero is meant to taste like normal Coca-Cola while Diet Coke has its own specific taste, and according to The Mirror, the only difference in recipe is one single ingredient.

Apparently, that ingredient is citric acid, which is only in Diet Coke. Coke Zero uses sodium citrate instead in a bid to mimic the taste of full-fat coke without containing all the sugar.

Interesting, huh?

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This comes as Coca-Cola announced they were scrapping Coke Zero all together in the near future, instead introducing Coke No Sugar to the family, which they promise will continue to taste like the full-fat drink without the sugar. So the same, basically.